What New Yorkers Really Think of Amazon HQ2

More than half of New Yorkers view Amazon’s plan to open a headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, in 2019 as a blessing, not a curse. That’s according to a new poll from Quinnipiac University, which surveyed more than 1,000 people registered to vote in New York City from all five boroughs between November 27 and December 4. Perhaps more surprising to the many vocal opponents of the Amazon selection process: Only 26 percent of those surveyed disapprove of the project.

People were more evenly split on the question of whether Amazon should be receiving the tax incentives—nearly $3 billion of them—that the city and state offered to lure the company, with 46 percent in favor and 44 percent opposed. It’s not clear whether that level of support is enough to push forth the brewing movement to shrink the tax breaks or halt them entirely. “While New Yorkers give the thumbs up to Amazon moving one of its new headquarters to Long Island City, they are divided over the sizeable carrot offered,” said Mary Snow, polling analyst for the Quinnipiac University Poll, in a statement.